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Bulls Looking To Land Carmelo Anthony

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 23, 2014 7:30PM

With the NBA's annual draft later this week, and free agency on the horizon shortly thereafter, the basketball hot stove is in full action. Among the biggest story lines has been Carmelo Anthony -- whether he'd choose to opt out of his contract with the New York Knicks, and where he might land if he chose to do so. In desperate need for shooting, the Bulls are of course interested. And there are indications the Bulls are on Carmelo's short list.

Reports suggest that, despite lobbying from new Knicks president Phil Jackson, Anthony has informed the team he will opt out of his contract and test the market in free agency. The interest between Chicago and Carmelo is mutual, with the All-Star small forward talking to people to learn what it's like to be famous in Chicago, while head coach Tom Thibodeau is reaching out to former coaches of Anthony's to help sell him on joining the Bulls.

But can the Bulls and Carmelo make the dollars work? That's the biggest question. Were Anthony to choose to remain with New York, he could sign a maximum deal worth $129 million over five years with the Knicks. If he signs elsewhere, a max deal would only be worth $96 million over four years. The Bulls would be hard pressed to offer anything close to the $23 million annually without some massive roster tweaks.

It is possible that Anthony will take less money to play along side Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, with a real shot at an NBA title. Just how little would Carmelo take to play in Chicago? While his Jordan brand sponsorship might increase in value with him sporting the Bulls' black and red, would he really leave upwards of eight million a year on the table? Even if the Bulls keep Nikola Mirotic stashed in Europe and trade their two first round picks in this week's draft or draft additional Euro players, the Bulls would be hard pressed to free up more than about $15 million for Anthony.

Otherwise, the Bulls might need to work a sign-and-trade contract with New York. The Bulls have been maneuvering for months, should such a deal be necessary. In addition to Carlos Boozer's large expiring contract, the primary purpose for signing veterans Ronnie Brewer, Lou Amundson and Mike James late in the season was to have (non-guaranteed) contracts to help numbers. Jimmy Butler might make the most sense to include in a trade, but given his low salary in 2014-15 the Bulls also may have to instead part with Taj Gibson to make the cap numbers work.

The interest appears to be there on both side, but there are a lot of moving piece that must fall into place for Carmelo Anthony to land in Chicago. And even if the absolute numbers can work, will gutting the Bulls bench and depth be the best move if the Bulls are trying to win it all? Just look at how Miami's "big three" were overpowered by a deeper San Antonio team. Gar Foreman's going to be a busy guy for the next couple weeks, as he feverishly works to try and bring Anthony to Chicago.

Never mind figuring out what to do with the 16th and 19th picks in this week's draft. We'll address what the team might do with those later this week.